Mail-bag fastening



(No Model.)

R. T. SMITH.

MAIL BAG FASTENING.

No. 452,148. Patented May 12, 1891.

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A- Ul UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. v

ROSVELL T. SMITH, OF NASHUA, NEWT HAMPSHIRE.

MAI L-.BAG FASTENING.

i SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 452,148, dated May 12, 1891.

Application filed June 12, 1890. Renewed April 10, 1891. Serial No. 388,421. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ROSWELL T. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nashua, in the county of Hillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fastenings for Mail-Bags, &c., of which the following is av that it is equally applicableto other articles of like nature.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a mail-bag having my improved fastening applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the fastening. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View on the line on cc of Fig. l, and Figst and 5 are transv verse sectional and `side views of a modification to be described. A

To the upper portion of the bag 1 are secured by rivets or otherwise the plates 2, which are preferably placed in close proximity, as indicated, the series of plates upon one part of the bag corresponding to a similar series' upon the other part. To every other one of the plates of one series and to the alternate plates of the other series vare secured hooks 3,

y which are made, preferably, of broad flat plates and have the extremity of the hook turned over to form a roll 4 with projecting portions 5, for a purpose to be referred to, while the intervening plates, to which the hooks are not attached, are left plain.

A cord 6, made usually of steel wires, or it might be of chain, and sufficiently flexible to -be handled readily, is secured to a plate 7 at one end of the bag-mouth, and is adapted to be locked to a plate 8 at the other end, for which purpose it may be formed with a loop 15 to be passed overa staple 16, and there secured by a lock 17. If it is made to engage with all the hooks of both series between plates 7 andS andis locked to the plate 8, the bag will be securely fastened, the cord being of such length as to leave no slack between the plates 7 and S and the hooks 3 being made long enough to prevent the vpossibility of the cord slipping from under the hooks. The plain plates of each series between those bearinghooks will preventthe material sh0rtening ofthe series and the consequent loosening of the cord.

To guard against possible separationof the two parts of the bag-mouth, the plain plates just referred to are made to engage loosely with the hook-plates on each side, preferably in this case by means of lugs 9, formed on said plates, which lugs stand behind the adjacent' hook-plates on the same part of the bag. The rolls 4, above referred to, with their projecting ends 5 overlapping the hook-plates of the opposite series, renderit impossible to release the cord from the hooks by turning the hooks downward into the bag.

In order that the hooks may be thrown normally into a position in which the cord can be most readily engaged therewith when it is desired to fasten thebag, each hook is pivoted to its carrying-plate and is, formed with a raised boss 10 about its pivot-stud 11, and within this boss is placed a spring13,one end of which engages with the plate 2 and the other with the hooleplate 3. The hook is thus thrown into the position indicated at the left in Fig. 1.

In the modification presented in Figs. e and 5 the hooks 3 are formed in one piece with the plates 2', and the plates are made to engage loosely with one another on the same part of the bag, preferably by a hinge connection 9. In this construction, which may be somewhat cheaper than that described above, the flexibility of the fastening is not lost; nor is it possible to diminish materially the length of the series of plates and so slacken the cord. The hooks, however, Inay htve to. be made somewhat longer than those of the other construction.

It will be observed that the plain plates, with the lugs l) or the hinges 9', constitute a connection between the hook-plates.

The operation of my fastening device is evident and has already been described sufciently.

I claiml The combination of a bag, two series of hooks carried in alternation by the opposite sides of the mouth thereof, a staple secured at one end of the bag-mouth, a cord secured at the other end of the bag-mouth, adapted to engage with all the hooks of both series and having a loop at its free end to engage said staple, and a lock to secure the loop, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a bag, a series of open hooks on one side of the bag-mouth and opening outwardly, a second series of open hooks on the other side of the bag-mouth alternating with those of the iirst series and opening outwardly, connections between the hooks on the sarneside of the bag-mouth, and a cord adapted to be engaged with and disengaged from the hooks of both series, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a bag, two series of hooks carried in alternation by opposite sides of the bag-mouth, plain plates secured to the sides of the bag-mouth between the hooks, and a cord adapted to engage with all the hooks of both series, substantially as described.

fl. The combination, in a fastening device, of a series of hooks carried by one part of the bag to be fastened, a series of hooks carried by the other part and alternating with those of the tlrst series, plain plates filling the spaces between the hooks on both parts of the bag and engaging loosely with the hookplates on each side, and a cord adapted to engage with all the hooks of both series, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a fastening` device, of a series of plates having hooks pivoted thereon secured to one part of the bag to be fastened, a series of plates having hooks pivoted thereon secured to the other part and alternating with those of the first part, plain plates filling the spaces between the hookplates on both parts of the bag, and a cord adapted to engage with all the hooks of both series, substantially as described.

plates on both parts of the bag and engaging loosely with the hook-plates on each side, and a cord adapted to en gage with all the hooks ot both series, substantially as described.

7. The combination, in a fastening device, of a series of plates having hooks pivotcd thereon secured to one part of the bag to be fastened, a series of plates having hooks pivoted thereon secured to the other part and alternating with those of the iirst series, springs adapted to throw the hooks normally out of horizontal position, and a cord adapted to engage with all the hooks of both series, substantially as described.

8. The combination, in a fastening device, of a series of plates having hooks pivoted thereon secured to one part of the bag to be fastened, a series of plates having'hooks pivoted thereon secured to the other part and alternating with those ot' the first series, the hooks of each series having projecting portions overlapping the hooks of the other series, plain plates filling the spaces between the hook-plates on both parts of the bag and engaging loosely with the hook-plates on each side, and a cord adapted to engage with all the hooks of both series, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

-LOSYVELL T. SMITH.

lVitnesses:

S. J. M. SMITH, L. A. SMITH. 

